The KH179 ("Korean Howitzer 1 (First) 79") is a South Korean

155 mm 155 mm (6.1 in) is a common, NATO-standard, artillery caliber. It is defined in AOP-29 part 1 with reference to STANAG 4425. It is commonly used in field guns, howitzers, and gun-howitzers. Land warfare The caliber originated in France aft ...

39 caliber towed howitzer designed and developed by the

Agency for Defense Development The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) is the South Korean national agency for research and development in defense technology, funded by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). It was established in August 1970 under the banner ...

(ADD) for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and is now manufactured by Hyundai WIA.

Development

The KH179 is a towed Howitzer developed and produced by Kia Precision Industry (now Hyundai WIA) since 1983 for the purpose of replacing the U.S. M114A2 towed Howitzer and enhancing artillery firepower.

General characteristics

The KH179 makes use of lightweight components (CN79 barrel, RM79

recoil buffer A recoil buffer is a factory-installed or aftermarket component of firearms which serves to reduce the velocity and/or cushion the impact of recoiling parts of a firearm. Design The simplest form of recoil buffer is made from a resilient and deform ...

, and CG79 mount) and can be air-transported by

CH-47 chinook The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, C ...

helicopter and

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

transport aircraft. In addition, performance improvements were made in range, reliability, and maintenance compared to conventional M114A2 howitzers operated by the

South Korean military The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (), also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the armed forces of South Korea. The ROK Armed Forces is one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength o ...

. The

ammunition used in the KH179 is compatible with

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

155 mm standard ammunition, but has significantly improved range and firepower. It is equipped with a direct/indirect aiming mirror, allowing both direct and indirect howitzer firing. Direct fire uses an L-type aiming mirror with 3.5 magnification and has an effective range of 1,500 m. Indirect shooting uses a four-magnification panoramic aim mirror mounted on the left. The range is 18.1 km for normal rounds, 30 km for rocket-assisted rounds, and the firing rate is 2 rounds per minute for continuous shots, and the maximum firing rate is 4 rounds per minute.

Operational history

Operators

Current operators

* : 18 for the Indonesian Army, purchased in 2011. Stationed in three batteries in Borneo Island (2), near Malaysian border (2) and one on Sumatra Island. * : Unknown quantity purchased during

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Ba'athist Iraq, Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations S ...

. Later copied and produced locally as HM-41. * : More than 100 in service with the

Myanmar Army The Myanmar Army ( my, တပ်မတော်(ကြည်း), ) is the largest branch of the Tatmadaw, Armed Forces (''Tatmadaw'') of Myanmar (Burma) and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The My ...

. * : 1,000 in service with the

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...

and the

Republic of Korea Marine Corps The Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC; ko, 대한민국 해병대, Daehanminguk Haebyeongdae), also known as the ROK Marine Corps or ROK Marines, is the marine corps of South Korea. The ROKMC is a branch of the Republic of Korea Navy respo ...

References